


Roger Black Leader

by Stargirl4Ever



Category: Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: Canon Compliant, F/M, I love star wars, I wish I was an x-wing pilot, Kissing, M/M, Making Out, Other, Poe dameron is the best, X-Wing Pilot!Reader, X-Wing(s), canon action/violence, gender-nuetral reader (if you pay attention), so are you btw
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-23
Updated: 2016-08-23
Packaged: 2018-08-10 16:43:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,051
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7853041
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Stargirl4Ever/pseuds/Stargirl4Ever
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>As an X-Wing pilot for the Resistance, you'd heard your fair share of the best (and most handsome) pilot in the galaxy. You are assigned to his elite squadron and dispatched on a dangerous mission which brings out not only your true feelings, but his too.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Roger Black Leader

**Author's Note:**

> So, ever since I saw the movie on Christmas Day, I've been writing this fic! I just love Poe Dameron so much. Anyway, this is the first fic I've ever done with a deliberately gender-neutral reader and I really like how it turned out.
> 
> The idea for this fic came about because I've been somewhat unsatisfied regarding how that in other reader-insert Poe fanfics that the reader always has mundane jobs in the Resistance when I know I'd be a pilot (and you probably could be too). Ever since I was a little girl, I'd imagine being an X-wing pilot.
> 
> Hope you enjoy and may the Force be with you!

You purse your lips in anticipation, zipping the familiar orange flightsuit to your waist and letting it hang off your hips. It wasn’t like this was your first mission, and it wasn’t like you were a bad pilot or had bad aim, you just knew that this mission was going to be a little different. Some minor changes, like flying under a new commander… A commander you happened to have a thing for.

You tucked your helmet under your arm and walked out of the locker room with a practiced confidence that you and the other X-wing starfighter pilots liked to convey. QT-R9, your little green-plated astromech droid, followed closely at your heels excitedly through the bustling D’Qar Resistance Base hangar.

You saw your squadron, the Red Squadron, casually congregating with the Blue Squadron before the pre-flight pep talk. Usually it was the Red Leader that did the pep talks, but now it would be done by that new leader, the dashing renowned pilot Poe Dameron. You sucked in a breath, wondering what working with him would be like.

You arrived just in time to hear the punchline of a funny story being told by one of the Blue pilots. “...and _then_ I pulled the trigger!” A chorus of laughter followed. You were greeted enthusiastically by your squad, and they pulled you into the circle. Several more X-wing pilots entered the group.

Poe Dameron was sitting on a crate with his knees apart, laughing at the joke as if it was the best thing he’d ever heard. He glanced up at you, his grin faltering for a moment before returning, his eyes crinkling. You smiled back, feeling blood rush to your cheeks.

“Is that everyone?” He said, getting up from the crate and looking away from you to the rest of the pilots. There was a murmur of acknowledgement from both squads, and Poe continued.

“So, I’ve chosen your squadrons because you’ve shown the most dedication and the most skills… Not to mention that you guys have a reputation for being just _wizard_ out in the field. We all know what to expect today, but let’s hope that the TIEs don’t!” He said, making everyone holler and cheer before heading off to prep.

Poe reached for the nearest pilots, jokingly kissing them on the cheek, a pre-flight superstition from the later days of the original Rebel Alliance. Wanting to hide your growing attraction to him, you quickly called QT-R9 who had been socializing with the other astromech droids, and started to head towards your ship. QT hummed at you to turn around and Poe nearly bumped into you when you stopped. Was that a sparkle in his eyes? Or did he look at everyone like that?

“I think you’re forgetting something, Red Eight,” he said teasingly, using your callsign. You decided to play coy as well, something you thankfully weren’t too shy to do. You’d seen Poe Dameron several times in the base cantina, always surrounded by other Resistance pilots and friends. You’d been attracted to him for a long time, and it was a dream come true for him to be your squadron leader. This was the first time you’d actually been able to talk to him.

“Thank you, Black Leader, but you can call me __________,” you said, tilting your head cheekily.

Poe held your shoulders and pulled you toward him, kissing you a bit closer to your lips than your cheek. He stepped back and smiled. “__________.” He said, still holding your shoulders for a moment before turning and walking away. He looked back at you and winked, something that you’d seen him do to countless other people. Though the charming gesture wasn’t something unusual coming from him, it still made you feel something.

You jogged to your X-wing with QT, put your helmet and gloves on, and climbed into the cockpit. You did all the preflight checks and made sure QT was safely secured into the astromech socket in the back of your ship. After flipping several switches, your beloved _Red Eight_ whirred to life. The prep team guided you as you taxied the ship outside to the runway.

When everything was almost ready, you took a few deep breaths, a preflight ritual that you’d been doing since you’d become a pilot. Pulling the yellow-tinted visor down from the top of your helmet, you secured your flight harness and double-checked everything one last time.

“Are we all set, QT?” You called back to the astro droid. It hummed an excited response and you nodded to yourself. This was what you lived for. This was what you loved, the feeling before takeoff, the waiting, wide galaxy overhead…  

There was a moment of static from your helmet communication system, and the other pilots from the Blue Squadron began signing in. Members from your squadron began the process afterwards, and you waited for your turn. You looked ahead at Poe’s _Black One_ X-wing starfighter. Compared to your standard white ship and its red panels, _Black One_ was sleek and dangerous in matte orange and black paint.

“Red Six standing by.”

“Red Seven standing by.”

You adjusted your mouthpiece and spoke just a little too loudly, making you cringe in embarrassment. “Red Eight standing by!”

“Sounds like everybody’s all fine and dandy!” Poe’s voice came in, “This is Black Leader, checking in. Let’s shoot for the stars on my command! Fall into formation. On my go.” He said, commanding the squadrons to quickly gain altitude in the atmosphere of D'Qar for the jump into hyperspace. You hovered with the other ships and completed the final check-in.

You bit your lip before your turn, thinking of Poe—Black Leader— hearing your voice on his end.

“Roger Black Leader,” you said in a somewhat audacious way, accentuating the ‘R’ sound. You heard him laugh a little, and he started the countdown. Your hand hovered over the hyperdrive switch and QT readied the coordinates.

“Three… Two… One... Punch it!” You flipped the switch and watched space fold around your ship, stopping in a faraway system simultaneously with the other ships, something you proudly knew that only experienced squadrons could carry out. It would impress Poe Dameron, that’s for sure.

This mission was like something that you’d done before, but this time the stakes were higher and the enemies bigger. Your squadron was a detail for a spy ring that was infiltrating a First Order Star Destroyer. You’d serve as a distraction to draw attention away from the spies while they completed their own mission. General Leia Organa had approved of the plan, and though you had mixed feelings about the mission, you took it with readiness. Besides, you were always happy to have a chance to destroy some TIE fighters.

“Follow my lead,” Poe said, his voice sounding more serious now that you were up in the black. You followed his ship towards the current coordinates of the Star Destroyer at high-speed, the massive cruiser soon within sight. The spies would be retrieving their information now, so you were right on time when you saw the first wave of TIE starfighters approaching your squadrons.

Poe began shooting at the fighters once they were in range, and swooped up in an advanced move that looked effortless when he pulled it off. It was the first shootout, meaning that it was time for the X-wings to break apart in groups to fight. You were one of the better pilots, so you were assigned with _Black One_ , Poe Dameron himself.

You followed below Poe’s ship, hotly locked onto a nearby TIE, shooting at it and hitting it in the center. Carefully dodging the debris from the explosion, your group continued in this way. The first wave of TIE fighters was successfully thinning without the loss of any Resistance pilots.

A second, smaller wave of TIEs emerged from the Star Destroyer, and you hoped that Poe would get the all clear from the spies so that you could leave. Though all the X-wings combined were a fearsome force, you were still outnumbered by the Star Destroyer and the TIEs.

One of the Blue Squadron ships in your group blew up an enemy fighter and you looked away, thinking it was clear for you to proceed and that Blue Four had destroyed it at a safe distance like most pilots did, but it was too close to your group.

“Red Eight! To your—” Blue Four was cut off as the shrapnel from the destroyed TIE met his cockpit and engines, causing _Blue Four_ to explode. You gasped loudly as starship pieces from both explosions hit your ship straight on.

Your ship shuddered from the impact, and the emergency lights and sirens sounded. QT hummed with worry and you didn’t immediately know the extent of the damage. However, you still felt your ship going strong, and you swooped back into the action, shooting at a nearby TIE.

“How we lookin’ QT?” You called. QT signalled that you’d sustained some serious damage and that you were going be in trouble sooner than you would have liked. There was still time for you to take out a few more enemy crafts. It’s why you were up in the black in the first place, the First Order had made your planet go through hell before it was liberated by the New Republic.

“Red Eight, this is Black Leader.” Poe’s voice crackled over the comm in your helmet. You liked hearing him in your ear, but now wasn’t the time for those kinds of thoughts.

“Come in Black Leader,” you said with a grunt as you pulled your starfighter up and blasted the TIE you’d been pursuing. You wasted no time to watch the explosion, immediately going after a TIE that was chasing Blue Six.

“Return to base, Red Eight, you’ve taken a lot of damage,” Poe said, his smooth voice laced with what sounded like concern. You shook your head slightly, he was supposed to be concerned for his squadrons, not just you in particular… Right?

“I’ve still got fight in me, Black Leader,” you said somewhat defiantly, dodging an attack far too closely according to QT’s vocal reprimanding. You saw Poe’s _Black One_ side up next to your starfighter during a moment of brief reprieve from the battle. Glancing over, you could see Poe in his cockpit. Though his face was covered by his black helmet, he was looking in your direction.

“You’re smoking, Red Eight,” Poe said, banking right to assist Red Two with an oncoming pulsar blast. You followed his lead, and your ship’s steering system began to feel squirrelly.

“ _Smoking_? Black Leader, you flatter me.” You said in a mock flirty tone as you pulled a sharp turn to get behind Poe and Red Two to act as their spotter in case another pulsar was sent.

Poe let out a small laugh, but his voice was still hard. “In any other circumstances, Red Eight… but for now, do as I say…” Now _that_ wasn’t very squadron leader-like, and you were quiet for a few moments.

You destroyed another TIE and moved vertically to avoid any shrapnel. _Another_ wave of First Order fighters appeared from both sides, surrounding both your group and the others. A sense of dread filled you, and you knew that everyone could use what help you could give. You saw a TIE dangerously approach Poe, too fast for anyone but you to destroy it.

“Black Leader, with all due respect, it’s getting hot here… ” You argued, trying to lock onto the target with some difficulty from your auto-target lock system. More warning lights flashed on, as QT’s sounds of distress escalated.

“__________! On your left!” Poe yelled, forgoing your callsign to warn you, but it was too late. The second you released the laser fire and destroyed the TIE that had been after Poe, the top part of your left wing had been hit from a rapid-attack stealth fighter, both thrust engines on that side took the full hit. Part of the actuator had been damaged as well, and your ship went dark. You braced yourself as the ship tumbled away from the battle.

After a long while of vertigo, you righted your ship with its emergency fuel store, removing your shaking hands off of the controls to catch your breath. The Star Destroyer was nowhere in sight, only an endless expanse of dark space.

With only static in your communicator, you tried to re-establish contact. “Black Leader? Do you copy, Black Leader? Poe? Anyone?”

Nothing.

“Damn.”

You heard QT’s distress signal, alerting you of an internal fire, fed by the air released from the cockpit. “And damn again… Well put it out!” You shouted angrily, trying to turn yourself in the small space to look behind the cockpit at where the fire was. You hoped that it was nowhere near the fuel tanks. Fuel lead to more fire, more fire to explosions, and explosions to instantaneous pilot death. You watched QT extinguish it without finesse, getting soot all over itself.

“Don’t ask me to do maintenance when we get back, QT-R9…” You grumbled, flipping the emergency power on and assessing the damage with the scanner.

QT quipped at you in a sassy tone.

“What do you mean _if?”_ You responded, the scanner showing you that at least _some_ of the damage would be repairable by QT. You let out a sigh, happy that you’d probably be able to make it back to D’Qar in mostly one piece. It was then that you remembered that you’d directly disobeyed Poe’s orders. You wondered what your reprimand sentence would be, worried that your career as an X-Wing pilot was now dead even if you weren’t.

QT chirped at you, making you look back at it. It had just reminded you of what Poe had said to you, and how he said it. QT-R9 stated that Poe clearly liked you.

“Come on… That’s bantha fodder… Besides, what do you know about feelings?” You said defiantly, folding your arms. The emergency lights for the actuator switched off, indicating that QT was finished. You tried your comm again, but still no luck.

QT hummed, reminding you of what had also happened before takeoff, and you felt your cheeks heating up. You thought of his dark eyes and dark hair, and his warm lips pressed to your skin…  His kiss lingered on your cheek longer than it had with the others, or at least it felt like it had…

And that wink. That wink for which he was so famous… But that one had been directed at you and only you…

You jumped a little when the engines whirred back to life, shaken out of your dreaming. “Let’s follow his orders then, even if it _is_ a little late…” You said in a forced pleasant tone, listening to QT’s happy sounds. “Is the hyperdrive back on yet?” QT told you it was and you prepped everything, jumping back to the Ileenium System in D’Qar airspace with some difficulty from your ship.

Your ship’s emergency lights began flashing again as you orbited the planet, and you tried to call the base, “Red Eight calling in, I don’t know if you can hear me… Requesting emergency re-entry assistance.” You waited, but heard no response. QT told you that you were receiving no transmissions, so you’d just have to go in without help. You set your coordinates and began the fiery descent through the atmosphere. The internal pressure and air system suddenly failed, leaving you light headed for a few moments before your life support unit activated.

You could see the landing strip rapidly approaching and you tried to gain some altitude so you could do a vertical landing like your ship was meant too, but your ship wasn’t having it. Your heart raced in fear, but you tried to keep a clear head.

“Come on, come on!” You repeated to your ship, but there was no change in its behavior. You saw that the X-wings weren’t back from the mission and the runway was thankfully clear.

The landing teams were scrambling to accommodate your sudden landing, holding up their lights to try and guide you, but you were still coming in hot without much control. You suddenly remembered to pull the tab of your flight vest, making it inflate just as your ship collided with the duracrete ground. It was a little too late, and your head was still jostled painfully and your vision went hazy. There was nothing you could do about your ship sliding across the duracrete but pray that none of the landing team had been injured.

Your ship finally stopped as it slammed against the wall of the hangar and the landing team immediately began cooling the ship down. The second your cockpit was pried open, the rush of pressure and air made the blood rush too quickly to your head, bringing on a wicked headache. Someone deflated your vest and you were hastily pulled out of the ship.

With wobbly legs you were taken to the medcenter as you saw QT being taken to droid repair. You hoped the droid would be okay; despite all the arguing you two did, you cared for it. You groaned when you saw the wrecked state of your ship. You were really attached to that ship, but it looked like it would be easier for you to get a new one than to repair it. Of course that is only if you were allowed to remain in the Starfighter Corps after your infraction of Poe’s orders.

Thankfully, you sustained only minor injuries from when your ship lost its support systems and from the landing and crash into the hangar wall. You looked over your medical chart after being scanned and sat back in the bed, adjusting the oxygen mask that covered the lower half of your face.

The medic droid spoke in an annoyingly positive voice, “Everything should be just fine after some rest. Please see to it that you take an appropriate amount of time off.” It promptly left, leaving you alone. You took off your boots and stepped out of the orange flightsuit, careful of your sore body. You wore nothing but the regulation under-uniform, shorts and a t-shirt, much more comfortable than the heavy flightsuit.

You downed the sleeping serum that the droid had left for you and laid down in the bed, pulling the cover over yourself. Falling asleep within moments, with only your squadron leader on your mind.

* * *

 

When you woke up, you saw that your uniform had been folded neatly at the end of the bed. Glancing around, you suddenly noticed a dozing Poe Dameron sitting in the chair next to your bed, his head precariously supported by his hand and his legs crossed comfortably. He was still wearing his flightsuit, and his black helmet was at his feet.

You bolted upright and gasped, making Poe shift a little. He blinked his eyes open, looking around the unfamiliar surroundings for a moment before his eyes landed on you looking hopeful and relieved before sitting up and pushing his hair back. His expression became more serious and you felt dread when he spoke to you, “You know, it could have all been avoided if—”

You interrupted with a rush of words, “It was a deliberate disobeyal of your orders and I’m fully prepared for the necessary consequences!” There was a moment of awkward silence from both of you.

“...If you’d listened.” Poe finished, his tone hard. “I’m your commander, __________,” he said strongly, though his authoritative expression changed almost imperceptibly. “And you need to listen to me next time.” You glanced away, failing to see the slowly growing smile on his face.

He continued, “But I don’t know where I’d be if you’d left when I told you to.”

You looked up, dumbfounded for a few moments.

“ _Huh_?” You said stupidly before remembering that you had destroyed the TIE fighter that had taken Poe by surprise. You nodded, frowning at him a little.

“I was…” He flashed a you a sweet smile, looking for the right words, “My judgement was clouded. By you.” QT-R9 was right, he did care about you.

“I know your heart’s really in this, so I think the time waiting for a new X-wing will be hell for enough for you. Think of it as punishment.” Poe said with a laugh. You let out a breath, realizing that you’d gotten out of this one. You tilted your head back, getting an idea.

You smiled back, “That’s how you’re going to thank me, Black Leader?” You said, the oxygen mask muffling your voice as you resumed your flirting and made him smile. He uncrossed his legs and stood up, walking over to your bed with that X-wing pilot walk. No wonder everybody did it.

He sat down on the bed next to you and reached over to carefully remove your oxygen mask, making you raise your eyebrows a little. He looked so dashing with his helmet-tousled hair and small smile. That fluttery feeling returned and you knew what he was going to do. He put his hand around your back and pulled you to him, kissing you on the lips chastely.

He pulled back, “ _That_ was a thank you for saving me.” You laughed, and he pulled you back, kissing you again. “ _That_ was because you’re okay after going to look for you and not finding you.” You looked at the bed, knowing that you were probably a flustered mess.

He pulled you back to him, this time kissing you in a more excited way. He pulled back with a grin, “And _that_ was because the mission was a success, and I’d been planning on doing that since I first saw you fly in Red Squadron a while back.”

You threw your arms around him and kissed him back without restraint, your fingers curling in his messy hair. His hand slid down your side, pulling you onto him and falling back onto the bed, causing the both of you to laugh.

“Poe Dameron, General Organa reque— _Oh…_ ” A new and startling voice loudly addressed the man you were currently making out with and you shoved him off embarrassedly. Poe jumped up and rapidly fixed his hair and wiped his face with the back of his hand.

“Ma’am.” Poe addressed the young woman, who you recognized to be Lieutenant Connix. She looked at Poe and then to you before clearing her throat and speaking. Poe looked like he was trying not to laugh.

“Poe Dameron, General Organa requests your presence.” Though Connix was young, her voice was serious and professional.

Poe smiled, “Right away.” He was always so casual to his superiors, and you wondered if that was one of the reasons he wasn’t going to reprimand you for your breach of conduct.

Lieutenant Connix nodded and walked off, and as soon as her boots couldn’t be heard clicking on the floor, you started snickering. Poe reached for you again and gave you a kiss on the forehead. “I look forward to seeing you in my squadron again, Red Eight,” he said before getting off the bed and retrieving his helmet from the floor.

“Roger Black Leader,” You said lightly with a smile, getting off the bed as well and stepping back into your flightsuit. Poe winked at you just before he left, and you smiled again, leaving the medical bay at the approval of the med droid. You walked to the repair center, glad to see QT-R9 roll up to you, beeping happily close behind it was the little orange and white round droid that you recognized as Poe’s BB-8. QT-59 asked you something that made you bend down to it and speak in a hushed voice.

  
“You better be quiet, QT…” Looking around, you answered its question, “And yes, he did. Five times actually.” You almost couldn’t finish the sentence. QT hummed loudly in praise. “Shh,” you said, getting back up and glancing at BB-8. Poe’s droid beeped as it rolled up to you, telling you that it wouldn’t say anything that it knew. You laughed and walked back to the living quarters, your smile probably giving away more than any droid ever could.


End file.
